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Newsletter

Autumn 2005

Surfacing Department

travel to Leeds

The Wainwright surfacing business normally operates in an area from Exeter to Bracknell and south of the M4 so we were both surprised and pleased to win a contract in Leeds . A groundworks company called EDL contacted Wainwrights in the summer and asked for a quotation to resurface a lorry parking area for Scania in Avonmouth. The job was confirmed and asphalt was supplied in conjunction with EDL's concrete base for the heavy articulated lorries to turn on.    

EDL were so pleased with the workmanship and our approach to the contract that we were subsequently offered a further contract to construct a new yard at the Scania depot in Leeds . This work was recently carried out and involved sending one surfacing gang and all the necessary equipment up the motorway for the one week contract.

The yard construction was carried out in three layers and required some 1,490 tonnes of asphalt material covering 3,250m². Materials were supplied by our friends Bardon Aggregates who have an asphalt plant in the Leeds area.

With the success of these two jobs, we are hopeful that this will result in further Scania work at depots in Exeter and Poole.

There has even been mention about one job in Inverness , Scotland . We will keep you posted on our extending boundaries!

Looking back

- Yellow Marsh Farm

Moons Hill and Stoke Quarries encompass over 130 hectares (321 acres) of Somerset countryside. Some is operational quarry land and some is farmed by our agricultural tenants. The ownership of land, where farming is not the first priority, has ensured the survival of traditional fields and wet areas with their attendant insect and invertebrate populations such as bees, butterflies, beetles, dragonflies and damselflies.

This delicate balance between quarrying and the environment has been achieved through a close working relationship between the quarry and its tenants, such as John Hiscox, whose family have farmed at Yellow Marsh Farm for some seventy-five years.

John's grandfather, Samuel James Hiscox lived in Stoke all of his life and married a Stoke girl, Mercy Ward, in the early 1900's. They had seven children, all born in Stoke. John's father Ted was the third eldest of three boys and four girls.

Sam was a road mender, hauling crushed stone out of Moons Hill by horse and cart. John said, "Grandfather Sam liked farming and started in a very small way, as did many others in those days.

If you had a couple of cows, a rented field, a milking pail and a three-legged stool to sit and hand-milk your 'herd', you were in business". The family made the move to Downhead in the 1920's (all of three miles away) and in 1926 Sam rented a nine-acre field opposite Yellow Marsh Farm from Mr West of Oakhill. Ted and elder brother Jim, having to carry water to the cows after school each day, for there wasn't any piped water in those days!

In 1930, Yellow Marsh Farm, rumoured to have once been the Red Cow public house, became available. At this time Sam and his family had moved back to Stoke Parish and in 1930 took up the tenancy. With horses and carts laden with all their worldly goods (including a hen house), they moved in. During the war-time, John's father met a young cheese-making lass who worked at Hurlingpot Farm, Doulting and they married in 1943.

When Sam retired, Ted took over the tenancy of the original 29 acres, plus a further 9 acres across the road and three other fields totalling 42 acres from five different landlords. John was just 14 when in 1958 Mr Fred Luff of Wainwrights purchased Yellow Marsh Farm and set about modernising the house, installing mains electricity, a bathroom and flush toilets. John married in 1965 and Ted died suddenly at Christmas of that year. John said, "We can well remember the day when John Luff, accompanied by Chris Parfitt, called to see us to grant us the tenancy. I was just 21 at the time. Mr Luff said, your father was a good tenant and we are agreeable to you carrying on."

Other tenant farmers of Wainwrights retired and subsequently the land was added to Yellow Marsh in order to increase its size and viability. In 2001 the quarry finally moved into the 29 acres and John sold his 100 cows. "I have no regrets," said John, "Farming was going through a difficult time and still is and it was time to slow up." John's son Nicholas now continues the family tradition, farming Long Cross and Millmarsh farms as a tenant of Wainwrights.

Problems at Royal Windsor

result in new product range

A surfacing problem in front of Windsor Castle has resulted in another successful addition to Wainwright's product range.

The company's wide range of surfacing materials suit most applications, but a request from Jarvis, who had a difficult contract which involved resurfacing the road in front of Windsor Castle , presented a new challenge for the company.

The road in front of Windsor Castle is quite steep and the problem was that when the horses came to a halt on the SMA (Store Mastic Asphalt) surface, because of its negative texture, it did not offer up a sufficiently frictional surface. Therefore, the hoof had a lower contact area with the road aggregate and when the wood chucks were taken away, both carriage and horses had a tendency to slide back down the hill.   

When asked to recommend a suitable material, it fell to our Technical Director, Ian Timberlake, to resolve it. "I had an idea what to use, because I actually worked in Berkshire from 1981 to 1983 and all around Lambourn where a similar problem had arisen where horses were making their way to the gallops for training.     

Every day the race horses would trot, one behind the other near the verge as they made their way to the gallops and within about eighteen months (which is quite early for a road), the near side of the road would wear out. We had to come up with something more durable and so instead of using what was conventional macadam, we used a high concentration of stone and sand.

The problem here was durability, not skidding. It's only since the invention of SMA that horses have had a problem. The material we recommended was modified high-stone content asphalt, using basalt dust rather than sand fines and slightly higher 6mm content. This gives the mix a more continuous (fuller curve) grading that has worked well. A year later, Somerset County Council experienced a similar problem at South Petherton and we used the same basic material as we did at Windsor and it proved very effective."

"We now use it all the time," said Ian "Initially we called it Horse Friendly Asphalt (HFA) but we now supply it as 55/14 or 55/10 high stone content asphalt under the trade name of "Wrightrack", using the Wainwright triangle for the 'W'. It has been very successful." The obvious benefits of this material include its versatility, early skid resistance, durability and resistance to scuffing and oil damage.

The recommendations for its use are for surfacing roads (other than high speed), equestrian pavements, vehicle parking areas, general stress sites and where insufficient lane widths restrict the use of conventionally chipped asphalt.

It is not generally suited for Hand Lay applications.

Personal Profile

Helen, who is employed as Surfacing Co-ordinator, started work for Wainwrights in October 2001, but she was no stranger to that industry. Both Helen's father, Alan and her grandfather Steve Caffyn (Manager of the surfacing department) both work in surfacing and have been involved with the industry for many years.

"I've sort of grown up with all our gangs and as a young girl I went out on site with my father," said Helen. "In October 2001, whilst working as a legal secretary for Harris & Harris in Frome, an opportunity arose to join the surfacing department. I really enjoy my work here" says Helen. "Wainwrights as a company is like an extended family, particularly here in surfacing."

Helen, who is single, spoke enthusiastically of her dual passions, rugby and motor sport. "I go to Frome rugby matches most weeks. I also go to watch Bath play as often as possible; but unfortunately it often clashes with the Frome fixtures".

"When I'm not attending rugby matches I am at motor-cycle race meetings" continues Helen. "Our team, CSC Racing, is competing at the moment in the North Gloucester Road Racing Club Championship and MRO races and our main rider is Mark Baldock. Dad used to race sidecars when he was younger and he is still an enthusiast, so it is also a bit of a family thing." CSC Racing (sponsored by Wainwrights), held a Corporate Day at Thruxton on 1st October.

Newsletter

Spring 2005

First phase nears completion

by Peter Barkwill - Managing Director

After a period of careful analysis, I am pleased to report that we have started a project to build a new Asphalt Plant at Stoke Quarry, opposite the Moons Hill Quarry site.

The new plant will replace the existing unit (built in 1973) and will allow the business to improve customer service while enabling the Company to attain higher environmental standards and improve efficiency.

A significant part of the project is the installation of a one mile long gas pipe-line which will allow the new plant to operate using gas as its main fuel.

The site location was selected for easy customer access and to minimise the sterilisation of future mineral reserves. Long term development of the sites will result in Stoke Quarry becoming the main operating quarry in the decades to come and all new plant will eventually be located in this quarry.

Site clearance for the project started on 1st March with the removal of some 300,000 tonnes of overburden. At the time of writing, this part of the project is nearing completion and I look forward to updating you on further progress in the Autumn newsletter .

Pictured below is a similar plant to the one being built for Wainwrights

Looking Back - Working at the Face

Stone has been won from the Mendip Hills for centuries and owing to the difficulties of transporting it any distance, it was prised from the nearest outcrop with crowbars, hammers and wedges. Many of Mendip's apparently natural crags and small cliff faces having been modified in this way.

 Until the end of the 19th century output was dependent on the employment of a large work force. At the quarry face 'stone getters' worked in small gangs from two to four, each gang being responsible for its own 'piece' of work. Following the blasting, the loose stone was barred down, broken or crushed using hand tools and loaded into skips or tubs, which in the case of Moons Hill Quarry were pushed to the bottom of the incline and winched up to the primary crusher using an endless rope. Every ganger had to supply his own tools, whether wedges, bars or shovels and was even required to pay for the explosives used by the gang. At Moons Hill much of the work at the face continued to be done by hand into the late 1930's and early 1940's.

Steam Power

Probably the most significant development within and outside the quarry was the use of steam power for both plant and road haulage. This resulted in a gradual reduction of the hitherto large workforce. Mechanisation would also see the final demise of hundreds of roadside quarries that could no longer compete with larger concerns where substantial investment was being made.

Post War boom

Quarrying does not create a market for its products, but rather reacts to the demands of society, and in 1945, following the 2nd World War, the country was focusing on 'Rebuilding Britain'. Attention at Moons Hill Quarry turned towards improving existing plant and installing new crushing and screening plants to meet this new demand. At the face a new NCK Navvy was introduced, loading a 1 ton Muir-Hill dumper for transporting stone to the primary crusher. Navvies remained in use until 1964 when they were replaced by a Muir-Hill loading shovel.

Increased production

By 1973 a further increase in production called for a much quicker turn around at the face, which was achieved by using a Michigan 175B articulated loading shovel and Caterpillar 980, loading Terex R30 dumpers with a 30 ton payload, and in 1987 two 40 tonne Aveling Barfords. In 1991 Moons Hill began a major refit programme that was completed by 1993. Three years later level seven had been achieved and as the distance between the face and the primary crusher increased, it became essential to increase the payload of the dumpers. The Terex R30's were replaced with Aveling Barford RD40's and an RD55 with payloads of 40 and 55 tonnes respectively, working with a Cat 988B.

All this would seem a world away from the days of picks and shovels and yet it all took place within the working life of one of Wainwright's longest serving employees, Chris Parfitt. Chris said, "I started work at Moons Hill as stoker on the steam lorries before moving into the quarry. We shovelled stone into big buckets which were winched up into the crusher. Most of the work was done by hand with picks, shovels and wheelbarrows. The men worked from 6.00am until 4.30pm and when they were thirsty they drank cider."

Modern blasting techniques

Modern blasting techniques are a far cry from the days when quarrymen, working in small gangs, were responsible for their own 'piece' of quarry face, drilling holes by hand and guessing the amount of explosives to be packed into a hole. Later, hand-held jack-hammers were introduced and then came small drill-rigs, all owned and operated by the quarrying company.

In the early 1980's, with a growing awareness of both safety and the environment, Wainwrights employed specialist Contractor's W.C.D Sleeman & Sons Ltd to undertake the drilling and primary blasting, who also provide the drill rigs and site personnel. They undertake the design and layout of the blasting pattern, a technique that allows the explosion to be controlled so that any environmental impact is kept to a minimum.

The drill rig used at Moons Hill is an Atlas Copco ROC L8 crawler rig equipped with a Secoroc COP 44 hammer which is employed in drilling 115mm diameter holes on a 4.0 metre by 4.0 metre grid pattern. The bench height is 15 - 20 metres and the face angle currently used is 15 degrees.

Although it would appear that a section of rock-face might be lifted out in a single blast, in fact a series of holes are detonated separately, the timing between each detonation is measured in milli-seconds, generally working from the centre of the blast outwards. This has the effect of reducing both noise and vibration to the minimum, both of which are measured electronically, ensuring that those levels are maintained below the limits set by the County Planning Authority.

New Fitters welcomed

Since our last issue, two new Fitters with over 40 years experience in the

quarrying industry between them have joined the staff at Wainwrights.

Dave Gilson

Dave Gilson , who started last September as Mobile Plant Fitter, had previously worked for Tarmac at Halecombe Quarry.

"I've been in quarrying more or less since I left school," said Dave. "Before coming to Wainwrights I worked for Robert Hobbs at Fairy Caves and did my apprenticeship there. After a short break of 18 months, when I worked as a fitter for Suggs Bros Engineering in Shepton Mallet, I went to Halecombe Quarry and worked there for 28 years."

Dave lives in Shepton Mallet, he is married and has two grandchildren, Emily aged three and a baby boy, Connor, born on the 7th March this year. Dave's interests are caravanning and photography.

Paul Cooper started work at Wainwrights in October 2004. Paul, who lives in Nunney had worked with Dave at Halecombe for the previous seven years and before that for a local engineering Company, LJH Group.

Employed as a Fixed Plant Fitter, Paul is married with two children aged 18 and 21. He lists his hobbies as classic cars and 'messing around with wood'. "I do anything but 'turning'," said Paul. "Jointing and anything like that; making tables and other furniture" and before you ask, he only makes it for himself!

Paul Cooper

num n Personal Profile

Hannah Reakes

Hannah first worked for Wainwrights in July 2002 as a 14 year old on 'work experience' from school, returning on day release from College working in the weighbridge.

Whilst at the quarry, Hannah was offered a full time job in the laboratory, although she continues as relief at the weighbridge when required.

Hannah Reakes

Throughout her employment with Wainwrights, Hannah has successfully carried out training to include health and safety, manual handling and risk assessments and will shortly commence NVQ level two in materials testing.

Hannah said, "I love it here. I am a junior Lab Technician which involves taking samples from the bins throughout the production run and testing them for quality. Every sample is checked and cross-checked to ensure a consistent high quality before leaving the quarry.

Asking how she felt about working in what is essentially a male environment she said, "I really don't think about it - we all work as a team and I'm just one member of that team. We all work together and gender never comes into it. I feel quite at ease working here. I get treated like one of the lads and I'm quite happy with that."

Hannah, who lives in Radstock with partner Robin, enjoys walking in the countryside, but her main passion is art, whether in oils, paint or charcoal. She also confessed to having written several poems.

Liaison Committee welcomes

Asphalt Plant move

Members of the Wainwright Liaison Committee were very upbeat when they met during

March at the site of the new Asphalt Plant on the outskirts of

Stoke St Michael

Ron Brownlow (Project Manager) points out the site location with

Cllr Gloria Cawood andParish CouncillorRay Watts

Wainwrights have operated the Moons Hill Quarry in Stoke St Michael for over 100 years, during which time the village has become a much sought after place to live.

With new housing developments creeping ever closer to the quarry the Company has taken great care to minimise its impact on its neighbours, making far reaching environmental improvements. It is a policy that continues today, but occasionally, despite stringent controls and regular monitoring, there have been some complaints and these have usually been centred on the Asphalt Plant. The news that a new plant was to be constructed some distance from the village was welcomed by the local authority and the community as a whole.

Gloria Cawood, District and County Councillor and Chair of the Liaison Committee said, "I think the villagers will be delighted with this move and the use of a good fuel for the new plant which is going to be much more environmentally friendly."

"Whereas at one point we were expecting it would be several years before this happened, it is really good news today

to find we are going to have this in place by early next year - this is excellent news."

Members of the Liaison Committee discuss the new

Asphalt Plant at the construction site office

Liaison Committee

Referring to the Liaison Committee, Councillor Cawood continued, "I think the Liaison Committee certainly have helped by developing a mutual understanding of the issues, so that we are able to go back to the local community with good sound information. It also means that each side can build a mutual trust, which was probably the first of many successes for the liaison group. With this happening, it will be the first success that we can say has been worked through with the community and with the Company and I think that will help in the future."

"As you know, the people of Stoke St Michael have always known they were in a quarrying village and they have had

very good relationships in the past with the quarry." On the sighting and development of the new Asphalt Plant, Councillor Cawood said, "It will be very good news for everyone."

It is expected that the new plant will be in operation by early January 2006.

Double celebration

Neville Cullen had a double reason to celebrate on the 31st March. Not only was it his 65th birthday, but it also marked his retirement from Moons Hill Quarry after 31 years of service.

Neville, who had worked in the industry for some forty years, started work at Moons Hill in 1974. "The first job I had here was as a driller, preparing the holes for the fireman," said Nev. "And when the quarry started to employ contractors I went on the dumpers, driving a 25 ton Euclid that is now on display outside the Company office. I've been driving dumpers ever since."

Peter Barkwill and Neville Cullen

Neville, who lives close to the quarry in Mendip Road, Stoke St Michael with his wife Glynis, wasn't sure what he would be doing in the early days of his retirement, but Glynis certainly does, for Neville tells me that she has a long list of overdue DIY jobs waiting to be done! Together with a large garden and helping his brother who farms locally, I feel Neville will have his hands full for some time to come .

Golf Guru at the Weighbridge?

Denis Reynolds had little time to improve on his golf handicap of sixteen when he left Halecombe Quarry after 21 years as weighbridge operator.  Denis spent a short break catching up on those dreaded DIY jobs at his home in Coleford before starting work in the weighbridge at Moons Hill.  Married to wife Nichola, Denis has two sons, 22 year-old Jamie and 19 year-old Daniel. Besides golf Denis is also keen on skittles.

Denis Reynolds

Nature Group formed

In an on-going policy of environmental improvements in and around the Moons Hill complex, the newly-formed Wainwright Nature Group met for the first time in the training room on the 23rd March 2005 .

The main topic of the evening was trees and woodland management. After watching a video on beech trees Andy Brake and Richard Hartley of 'Newlands Tree Care' explained the aims and objectives of the five-year hedgerow and woodland management plan and how the bio-diversity of the site is being enhanced.

The second meeting will take place on Thursday 21st April when the group toured the complex and were shown many of the management techniques used to improve the woodland areas.

Future events will include guided walks around the site and the undertaking of small projects to improve wildlife habitats. All the meetings are open to members of staff and their families and will be advertised on the notice boards. A badger sett relocation on the Sunny Hill site is also being planned and anyone interested in getting involved should contact Wainwrights for further information.

Wainwrights adopt international

In an on-going commitment to environmental improvements, Wainwrights

continue to work towards accreditation of ISO 14001, the International standard

which specifies a model for an environmental management system ( EMS )

James Beer (Quarry Foreman)

takes regular water samples

The EMS is based upon the Environmental Policy which states the company's commitment to legislative compliance, pollution prevention and continuous improvement.

The key to a successful EMS is that everyone embraces the standards and works together to ensure the EMS works effectively. Everyone has an important role to play, from placing the correct waste in the correct bin, to managing quarrying operations in the most effective manner.

An organisation's Environmental Policy is the cornerstone of the EMS.  To truly reflect the business we reviewed our policy in October 2004 after identifying the company's impact on the environment.  This policy documents our commitment to comply with all relevant legal obligations and to the preventing of pollution.

Nature Focus

Wainwrights are making important contributions to the biodiversity of the locality by maintaining and enhancing a number of habitats in our non-operational areas. We recognise that many of Britain 's wildlife species can benefit from sympathetic land management and habitat-creation, and that we are only custodians of the countryside.

In each publication of the 'Wainwright News' there will be a focus on a particular habitat, animal or plant and an explanation how it integrates into the ecosystem of the Moons Hill complex.

Dew Ponds

Dew Ponds are important features of the rural landscape and benefit all animals, birds, plants and insects. These are small bodies of water which may be formed by depressions in the ground which fill and retain fresh water. On the Moons Hill complex we have three dew ponds which support their own unique ecosystems .

Frogs, toads, mosquitoes and dragonflies are all examples of animals and insects that live in water only during the larval stages of their life before leaving and living on land or on the wing. Water bugs and other insects can be seen skating across the surface of small ponds while in the water itself many species of pond weed provide both food and shelter for larva and adult insects, water snails and other creatures.

During the hours of darkness in dry seasons

roe deer drink from the dew ponds

During the evening the mosquitoes and midges that swarm over the water provide food for swallows and swifts. These are joined by bats which continue feeding through the night. Bats navigate from roosts to their foraging areas by following hedgerows and making small feeding sorties over water or fields where cattle are grazing. It is during the hours of darkness when foxes and roe deer drink from dew ponds during periods of dry weather.

To further enhance two of the dew ponds, low grade rock will be deposited close to the waters edge to provide shelter and hibernacula for small mammals, reptiles and insects. These species of wildlife are on the menu of birds of prey and therefore need places to hide close to their feeding areas. Buzzards, kestrels and barn owls can regularly be seen hunting over the dew ponds, searching for an unsuspecting meal at dawn or dusk.

I could not write about dew ponds without mentioning frogs and toads. These amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates adapted for life in water or on land. Unlike reptiles that have scales, the skin of amphibians are unprotected, causing them to lose water readily in dry environments. Therefore amphibians tend to be nocturnal and live in damp habitats. They spawn in water with the developing tadpoles spending their first few months there, before growing legs and hopping onto land.

First light and dusk are favoured times to watch wildlife at dew ponds. Find a quiet spot where you are concealed amongst bushes, and have a pair of binoculars close at hand. Your patience will be rewarded as dew ponds are busy places from spring through to early autumn.

a dew pond at Moons Hill

Andy wins ExxonMobil Award

Andy Open won the prestigious Exxon Mobil Award in December for his 4,000 word presentation, 'Making Disability Work'. The award, a certificate and cheque for £250 was presented by Steve Cole, ex-chairman of the Institute of Quarrying , West of England branch at the Gloucestershire, Tracy Park, Wick.

Andy Open, Steve Cole and Brendan Cleaver

(Pictured left to right)

In Brief

Institute of Quarrying

Steve Cole out-going Chairman (left)

Congratulates Kevin on his election to the chair

Kevin Sargant, Quarry Manager, will be wearing another hat this year, having been elected

Branch Chairman of the Institute of Quarrying (West of England branch) for a period of two years

NVQ Awards

Three more candidates were awarded their NVQ's in April and are seen being presented their certificates by Quarry Manager, Kevin Sargant (right). From right to left: Kevin Sargant, Alan Carpenter, NVQ Level 2 loading shovel. Len Treasure, NVQ Level 2 for dump truck. Mike Greenham, NVQ Level 2 excavator and Andy Open, NVQ Assessor/Trainer.

Kevin Sargant Quarry Manager (right) presents NVQ certificates

to Alan Carpenter, Len Treasure, Mike Greenham

and Andy Open

New post for Andy

Andy Open has taken on the role of Health & Safety Officer

for the new Asphalt Plant development

Andy Open

Project Manager

Ron Brownlow has been appointed Project Manager

for the new Asphalt Plant development

Ron Brownlow

p G                

John Wainwright & Company are sad to announce the

death of Roger Foster, one of our valued employees from

our Surfacing Division

sad to announce the death of Roger Foster

Roger, who lived in Mells, died on 25th October 2004 aged 52 whilst still

employed by the Company.  He leaves a wife, Lupa, son Darren

and two grandchildren. 

Roger was a popular member of the Surfacing team where he worked for four years and numerous tributes were received from his friends there.  Steve Caffyn, Surfacing Manager said of Roger, "Roger and I go back a long way and I can never express in words how much admiration I had for this quiet unassuming guy. His loyalty was unbounding - we all miss you mate."

Helen Seviour, Surfacing Co-Ordinator said, "Roger was someone I had known for many years. He was a friendly, polite and well respected person. Nothing was too much trouble for him. I feel privileged having known him. He is missed greatly by us and will forever be in our hearts."

Assistant Surfacing Manager, Pete Thomas said, "From the first time I met Roger he talked to me like I had known him for years. He was always friendly and approachable. He was a character within the department and he is sadly missed".

School visit to Moons Hill

Pupils and teachers from Stoke St Michael School were given a tour of the quarry

in March as part of their science project 'Rocks and Solids'.

Form teacher, Jo Caris said, "The children really enjoyed it and on their return

to school entered a competition based on their visit."  The competition was judged

by Quarry Manager Kevin Sargant who visited the school during April to present

prizes, which were in four categories.

The winners of the competition following their visit to Moons Hill Quarry.

Left to Right: Logan Leritte (8), best quiz & picture (boys). Toby Weeks-Baker

(8), for special effort. Eloise McGregor (8), Best letter. Chloe Meill (7),

best quiz and picture (girls)

In Brief

Mendip Quarry Producers

Autumn 2004 saw Managing Director, Peter Barkwill elected Chairman of the Mendip Quarry Producers whose members include Wainwrights, Foster Yeoman, Hanson, Aggregate Industries and Morris & Perry .

Peter Barkwill

Managing Director

Partners in Education

With the quarrying industry in general John Wainwright & Company operates a "Partners in Education" initiative which encourages contact with schools and universities. As part of that partnership, civil engineering students from the Imperial College , London paid their annual visit to Moons Hill during March.

College lecturer, Mike Callow said, "The students here are second year civil engineers, and I've been coming to this area for over twenty years. Moons Hill Quarry features very strongly in the geology of the area because the oldest rocks are exposed here. It is very interesting because the oldest rocks which are Silurian Wenlock in age (some four hundred million years ago in geological time), and also from the point of view of the engineering there is the significance of the extraction of good quality stone as a road surface."

"It is very good for civil engineers to understand how it is blasted out of the rock-face and then processed with different crushers, right down to the final product and for them to appreciate that its not just any piece of rock that you can choose for a road surface, but it has to be properly selected and tested."

Asked why Imperial College should have travelled such a distance to tour the quarry, Mike replied, "Many years back I selected this area because its quite variable, but the ideal thing about this is that it gives us a complete case-study. We are staying in Cheddar, so we can look at the rocks there which are carboniferous and then look at the oldest rocks here at Moons Hill that are exposed in the core of this structure and layers where you get the oldest rocks surrounded by the youngest rocks, so its very interesting and also there's a lot of other activities as well from the point of engineering."

Company's quick response praised

Sheila Petheridge and Colin Regler inspect the stones

placed to deter four-wheel drive vehicles

Wainwright's have always supported the ramblers Association and other users of bridleways and rights of way in Mendip, but their quick response following a plea from Sheila Petherbridge, the Rights of Way Officer for Mendip District Council came as something of a surprise to her.

For some time Sheila had been receiving complaints about four-wheel drive vehicles churning up a lane leading to the ancient Beacon Hill, some three miles west of Moons Hill Quarry. Apparently pedestrians, Horses and motorcycles are allowed, but not four-wheeled vehicles.

Sheila's pleas to the County brought the reply that no funds were available. She approached Wainwrights, with the result that within 24 hours large stones had been delivered and placed so as to restrict the offending vehicles.

A delighted Sheila said, "My sincere thanks to John Wainwright & Co for helping to stop this illegal and unsocial activity in an area that has been designated for quiet and peaceful activities whilst appreciating the beauty of the place."

Wainwright's dedicate

new bridleways

Two new bridleways have recently been dedicated thanks to

John Wainwright & Company

Red Lane , that now provides a useful route from Stoke Hill to Three Ashes lane, was an old track that had been in disrepair for many years. It was recently dedicated by landowners and is now shown on the new Ordnance Survey Map as a bridleway thanks to Mendip Cross Trails Trust and John Wainwright & Company.

In addition to Red Lane , Wainwrights have recently signed dedication papers to upgrade the footpath from the top of Red Lane to Mendip Road . This now forms part of a linear route linking Shepton Mallet and Oakhill via the old Fosse Way and Three Ashes bridleway, with the quarry network around Downhead.

Construction works were funded by the Mendip Cross Trails with money from the Somerset Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. This has included the erection of a fence to prevent access into the quarry, new drainage, machine work to clear a path alongside the quarry and the installation of a 5ft bridleway gate. The path proceeds over a bridge and joins the public highway at Mendip Farm.

Mendip District Council's Rights of Way Officer, Sheila Petherbridge said, "This project is one of many recent success stories that the Mendip Cross Trails Trust have achieved in negotiation and agreement with local quarry companies such as John Wainwright & Company and landowners, using Aggregate Tax funding."

Staff collect for Tsunami Appeal

Disaster in South Asia

On 26th December 2004 a giant wave, generated by an underwater earthquake off Indonesia, swept ashore. The UN believes about 250,000 people died in what it described as "among the worst human tragedy in history."

Donations from the British public exceeded £250 million and at Moons Hill staff collected a wide range of items ask for by the Aid Agencies.

Coleford Youth Shelter

A Youth Shelter for Coleford at last came to fruition thanks to

sponsorship from John Wainwright & Company

Parish Council Youth Co-ordinator, Val Horler said, "Funds raised through grants fell well short of the total required and Wainwrights agreed to help by laying the base and making and erecting the shelter for the money already raised, thus making up a substantial shortfall."

Supervising delivery of the Youth Shelter: Left to Right:

Peter Barkwill, Val Horler and driver Colin Regler